1. Dog poop request proves too much for Winnipeg

John Doman/ Associated Press

A group of dog owners in Winnipeg thought it would be great to have a poop-bag dispenser at their off-leash dog park so they could clean up the mess more easily. So they found a sponsor to buy the dispensers and pay for an ongoing supply, found a contractor to instal them and found the money to have signs produced. But two years later they still haven’t been able to overcome the red tape from the city, which keeps finding new excuses why it can’t get around to allowing the plan to go ahead. Now the whole issue has been referred to the city’s chief administrative officer. “When the city’s top civil servant has to approve signs for poop-bag dispensers in a dog park, something needs to change there. There is a big problem with that,” Donna Henry, president of the Kilcona Park Dog Club, told a CBC reporter.

2. EU rule singles out settlements

(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)

The European Union has ruled that goods made in Israeli settlements must be separately labelled, an obvious effort to make it easier for anti-Israel boycotts. There’s no other possible reason for it: goods from Canada aren’t labelled “Made in Deep River” or “Made in Portage la Prairie”. It may not equate to the use of yellow stars to identify wartime Jews, as some Israeli politicians have suggested but it’s unquestionably discriminatory and would single out Jewish settlers for different treatment from others. The Harper government would have condemned it; the Liberal government should as well.

3. G20 emissions gains seen as a ‘turning point’

Vibe Images/Fotolia

So, not only was Canada the most tolerant country in the world under Harper, it was one of the world’s cleanest: A new report by a group of scientists called Climate Transparency says Canada is among 11 G-20 economies in which greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced on a per capita basis since 2012, which it says is a “turning point” in dealing with climate change. Canada is also among a group that has seen strong growth in renewable energy.

4. India could doom climate action

Kuni Takahashi/Bloomberg

In more pre-summit climate news, the London School of Economics says that if growth in India continues as planned, it could push the world over the red line of emissions all on its own, producing about 20% of the total emissions scientists figure the world can emit while still avoiding a climate meltdown. (In case you’re wondering, they don’t mention the tar sands or Keystone XL.)

5. Putin shoots, he scores! Or else

(Alexei Nikolsky/RIA-Novosti, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Vladimir Putin has ordered an investigation into claims Russia engaged in a systematic doping program. “The battle must be open,” he said. “A sporting contest is only interesting when it is honest.” (Then he suited up and scored 12 goals against the Russian Olympic hockey team. “Next week, I take up golf,” he proclaimed).